Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-08
DUB WORLD Az RI LOOKS IN SPACE.

A Graphic Description OF b p net on
which We Live ~ IL Would Appear
"a o" Observer Well Placed for Look
Ing NJ IL.
II we imagine an observer contemplate
Ing the earth from o convenient dis
tance In space. and scrutinlzing Its fea-
lures As 1t rolls befors him, We may
suppose him 10 be struck with the fact
that ll-16ths OF It's surface are covered
with waller. and that the land 10 so un-
equally distributed that frUm Que point
OF view he would SEQ q hemisphere
almost exclu- lively oceanic, while nearly
the whole OF the dry land Is gathered in
the oppos u hemi phere.
He mi. hi observe that the great Oce-
anic area OF the Pacific and Antartic
ocean, il dotted with islands-ike Q
shallow pool with stones rising above Its
surface-as II its general depth were
small In comparison with It's area.
He might also notice that a mass or
belt II land surrounds each pole. AID
that the norlhern ring sends OIL to the
southwark three n tongues OF land
and OF mountain chains, terminating ro-
spectively in South America, South
Africa and Australia, towards which fec
bier and insular processes are given
of by the Antartic continental mass.
This, as some geogr pliers have OBJ
served, gives a ruiely tlr se-ribUed as
pect 10 the earth, though two OF the
three ribs are crowded together and form
the Eurup Asian mass or double conti-
nent while the third is isolated In the
single continent OF America.
He might also observe that the north
ern girdle is cut across. 30 that the
Atlantic opens by q wide space into the
Arctic sea, while The Pacific Is contract.
ed towards this north. but continent
with the ANITA tic ocean. The Atlantic
IL also relatively deeper and less encum-
bered with islands than h Pacific.
which has the higher ridges near Its
shores, constituting what some visitors
to tn, Pacific coast OF America have not
inaptly called the black 81 the work.
While the wider slopes face the narrowcr
ocean. tito which. for this reason. the
greater part Of the drainage Of the land
Is pour d.
The Pacific and the Atlantic. though
both depressiuns or f~attenings OF the
earth, ar, d lfferent In age. character and
con ilions and the Atlantic, I Ot,gh the
smaller, is The Older, aI.i rom the geo
!, gical point OF vies, ia some RESPECTS
the o important Of the two.
II our imaginary observer had the
mesns OF knowing anything OF the rock
formations Of the continents, he would
notice that those bounding the North
Atlantic are In general OF grent nGe.
some belonging TO the Laurentian eys-
TEN. On the other hand, he would
see that many OF the mountain ranges
along the Pacific are comparatively new.
aud that modern igneous action occurs
In connection with them.
Thus ne ml. hit be led TO believe that
the Atlantic. though comparatively mar
row, Is an oil er feature OF the eatth's
surface, while the Pacific belongs 10
more modern times.
But he would note In connection with
this that The o best rocks OF the great
continental masses are mostly toward
Their northern ends, and that the bor-
ders OF the northern ring Of land and
certain liugcs ext, nding southwards
from IL co stitrte the most ancient and
permanent e evatlons OF the earth's crust
though now greatly sur assed by noun
Iaiirs OF O.. ore recent age nearer the
f. uator.
IN ybserv r looking at the earth from
ailHuu uUul notice that the margins
OF the Atlantic and the main lines Of
direction OF its mountain chains are
northeast and southwest, and north
west and southeast. rs II some early
causes had determined the occurrence OF
elevations along great circles OF the
esrth's surface tangent TO the polar
circles.-(Sir W. Dawson.